LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Four decades after he won over America with his scratchy , soulful voice and blues-inspired rock , British-born Joe Cocker is receiving an honor from the queen .

Joe Cocker is being honored at Buckingham Palace for his services to music .

Cocker , 63 , was set to receive an OBE , or Order of the British Empire , at a ceremony Thursday morning at Buckingham Palace . The award officially recognizes Cocker 's `` services to music . ''

Prince Charles was planning to present Cocker with the honor , part of the queen 's annual birthday honors list .

Famous for songs including `` You Are So Beautiful '' and his cover of the Beatles ' `` With a Little Help from My Friends , '' Cocker began his career by singing Ray Charles songs in pubs around his hometown of Sheffield , northern England in the early 1960s .

Cocker toured with a string of bands , often playing American airbases in Europe , winning fans among the servicemen .

The press hailed his first U.S. television performance on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1969 , and the following summer , Cocker played to half a million people at the historic Woodstock rock festival in New York state .

The ensuing live album `` Mad Dogs and Englishmen '' remains a Cocker classic , with songs including `` Cry Me A River '' and `` Feelin ' Alright . ''

Rolling Stone magazine says Cocker 's `` gritty , powerful voice remains one of the most distinctive in rock & roll . ''

A whirlwind U.S. tour after Woodstock left Cocker `` exhausted , '' according to his own Web site , and reported drug and alcohol abuse came soon after .

Cocker had a top 10 song in 1975 with `` You are So Beautiful , '' but his fortunes really turned in 1982 with his No. 1 duet with Jennifer Warnes , `` Up Where We Belong , '' the theme from the movie `` An Officer and a Gentleman . ''

Cocker 's most recent U.S. top 10 was `` When the Night Comes , '' written by Bryan Adams .

Cocker now lives on a ranch in Colorado but still tours extensively . He has been touring Europe since June and plans shows in Sheffield and London this weekend . E-mail to a friend

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UK-born Joe Cocker receiving an Order of the British Empire

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The award officially recognizes Cocker 's `` services to music ''

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Prince Charles scheduled to present Cocker with the honor